Sliding door lock



Jan. 22, 1963 M. M. CHECK SLIDING DOOR LOCK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 9, 1959 IN V EN TOR. N4 Til/A5 M W A TTOQNEY Jan. 22, 1963 M. M. CHECK 3,074,749

SLIDING DOOR LOCK Ti 2. o 31 \bla 1s m,

Filed Nov. 9, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 '38 4453 210 its l5 In 71 i .4. b 14 Z631 IN VEN TOR.

MAT/{1A8 M CHECK ,4 rrogvsv Unite This invention relates to a lock for a sliding door. More particularly, the invention relates to a lock of the spreading jaw type in which the outer flanged ends of a pair of locking jaws are adapted to be projected from the lock casing into an opening in a strike plate or door frame and spread by a wedge member forced between the jaws to engage the flanges in locking position behind the marginal surfaces of the opening.

The present invention provides a spreading jaw type of lock which is of simple, inexpensive construction; which requires relatively few different parts; which may be easily assembled and adjusted; and which is extremely compact so that it may be readily utilized in'picture window type sliding doors which have extremely narrow stiles. At the same time, the present invention provides a lock which may be easily operated and provides strong and effective locking.

A lock constructed in accordance with the present invention is described in detail hereafter by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view taken through one side of the lock casing to show the internal construction of the lock;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken of the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view similar to that of FIG. 2, but showing the jaws of the lock projected from the lock casing into an opening in a door frame preparatory to spreading the ends of the jaws into locking position;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to that of FIG. 3, but showing the ends of the jaws spread into locking position behind the marginal surfaces of the opening behind the door frame;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken of the line 5-5 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is an isometric view showing one jaw, the wedge member, and an adjustable stop member which limits outward projection of the jaws.

Referring to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 and 2, the lock includes ahollow casing 10. The casing 10 is provided with projecting ears 11 and 12 having openings 13 and 14 for receiving bolts (not shown) by which the casing may be secured in a suitable opening in the edge of a door.

A pair of locking jaws 15 and 16 are slidably mounted in the casing 10 so that outer flanged ends 17 and 18 thereof may be projected and retracted through an opening 19 formed in the front face 26 of the casing 10. I aw 15 is supported for sliding movement on shoulders 21 and 22 formed on the inner surface of side 23 of the casing 19 and jaw 16 is supported for sliding movement on shoulders 24 and 25 formed on the inner surface of the opposite side 26 of the casing 10.

While not necessary to the function of the lock, the jaws 15 and 16 preferably are identical, as shown in the drawings, so that only one type of jaw need be manufactured or stocked. In assembling the jaws in the casing 10, one jaw is merely reversed relatively to the other so that the outer flanged ends thereof extend in opposite directions.

Jaw 15 is provided with inturned fingers 27 and 28 at its inner ends, and jaw 16 is provided with identical fingers 29 and 30. The fingers are so spaced from the top and States atet bottom edges of the jaws that when the jaws are assembled in the lock casing 10 the finger 27 of jaw 15 overlaps the finger 30 of jaw 16 and finger 29 of jaw 16 overlaps finger 28 of jaw 15 as best shown in FIGS. -1 and 2. Thus, the jaws 15 and 16 are interlocked and, except for the lost motion due to the slight clearance between the fingers, the jaws 15 and 16 must move together. One jaw cannot, therefore, be pushed accidentally inwardly of the casing independently of the other jaw. The fingers of each jaw also are so spaced from the top and bottom edges of the jaws that the fingers 27 and 28 of jaw 15 and the fingers 29 and 30 of jaw 16 may overlap when the inner ends of jaws 15 and 16 are moved together as shown in FIG. 4.

Jaw 15 is bent inwardly at 31 and jaw 16 is bent in wardly at 32 to provide fulcrums on which the jaws can irock to move the outer flanged ends 17 and 18 thereof toward and away from each other. The inner ends of the jaws 15 and 16 are yieldingly urged away from each other by a spring member 33, so that the outer flanged ends 17 and 18 are rocked toward each other as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 to permit the flanged ends to be projected through the opening 19 in the casing 10 and through an opening 0 in a strike plate or door frame F.

The spring member 33 is carried in groove 34 formed in the sides of a wedge member 35 and is held in the groove 34 by a peened over portion 36, as shown in FIG. 1. The wedge member 35 extends between the jaws 15 and 16 is formed integrally with, or otherwise secured to, the end of a pivotally mounted lever 37 so that the wedge member 35 may be moved to project, spread and retract the jaws 15 and 16 by pivoting lever 37, as will be described hereafter in detail.

The lever 37 is mounted for pivotal movement relatively to the casing 10 by means of integral hub portions 38 and 39 which extend through openings 40 and 41 formed in the sides 23 and 26 of the casing 10. An opening 42 extending through the hub portions 38 and 39 is adapted to receive a conventional spindle (not shown) which may be rotated by a suitable knob or handle to pivot the lever 37.

When the lever 37 is pivoted in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 1, a wedge-shaped front face 43 of the wedge member 35 engages the jaws 15 and 16 and slides the jaws outwardly of the casing 10 to project the flanged ends 17 and 18 through the opening 19 of the casing 10 and through the opening 0 of the strike in the door frame as shown in FIG. 3. This projecting movement of the jaws 15 and 16 continues until a shoulder '44 on jaw 15 and a-similar shoulder 45 on jaw 16 engage an adjustable stop block 46. Engagement of the shoulders 44 and 45 with the stop block 46 prevents further projection of the jaws, and continued movement of the wedge member 35 spreads the jaws 15 and 16 so that they rock on fulcru-ms 31 and 32 to move the outer flanged ends 17 and 18 into locking position beneath the marginal surfaces of the opening 0 as shown in FIG. 4. The jaws 15 and 16 are bent inwardly at 47 and 48 to provide surfaces extending at relatively large angles to the direction of movement of the jaws against which the wedge-shaped face 43 of the wedge member 35 may act in projecting the jaws 15 and 16.

The wedge member '35 is held in the locking position as shown in FIG. 4 by a spring 49, shown in FIG. 1, which presses against a tongue 50 extending from the end of the lever 37. When the lever 37 is pivoted in a counterclockwise position from the position shown in FIG. 4, the wedge member 35 is withdrawn from between the outer ends of the jaws 15 and '16 and spring 33 expands to move the inner ends of the jaws apart and the outer flanged ends 17 and 18 together, as shown in FIG.

smears 3 3, to allow the outer flanged ends 17 and 18 to be retracted from the opening 0. On further retracting movement of the lever 37, the rear surface 51 of the wedge member 35 engages fingers 2S and 36 to retract the jaws to the position shown in FIG. 2.

The position of the stop block 46 is adapted to be adjusted to vary the amount the jaws 15 and 16 may be projected by rotating an adjusting screw 52 which is threaded through the blocs 46, as shown in FIGS. 1, and 6. The adjusting screw 52. has a slotted head 53 which is accessible for rotation by a screw driver through an opening '54 in the front face 2% of the casing 13. The inner end of the adjusting screw 52 is supported in an opening through an upstanding portion 55 of a guide member 56. As best shown in FIG. 5, the guide member 56 is supported in the casing It) by the engagement of the lateral edges thereof in slots 57 and 58 formed in the inner surfaces of the sides 23 and 25 of the casing 10. Inward movement of the stop block 46 is limited by prongs 59 and 60 which are punched from the sides 23 and 26 and extend into the casing It to engage and limit movement of stop block 46.

The jaws 15 and it the lever 37, including the wedge member 35 and spring 33, the spring 49, the adjusting screw 52', the stop block 46, and the guide member 56 are inserted into the casing during the assembly of the lock from the rear of the casing. After assembling of these parts in the casing 10, a cover plate 61 is applied and staked to the casing 16 as indicated at 62, 63 and 64.

From the preceding description, it can be seen that there is provided an extremely effective lock of relatively simple, inexpensive construction, requiring relatively few different parts. The jaws of the lock being identical, only one type of jaw need be manufactured or stocked. The extent of projection of the jaws may be readily adjusted to accommodate the lock to strike plates or door frames of various thicknesses and to provide desired fit and operation merely by the turning of the adjusting screw. The adjusting screw being accessible from the front face of the lock, such adjustment may be made after the lock has been mounted in the door. The jaws of the lock being mounted for linear projecting movement rather than pivotal projecting movement, the locking flanges of the jaws may be substantially flat to provide a large area of bearing contact with the marginal surfaces of the opening in the strike of the door. This minimizes wear of the jaws and contributes to the strength of the lock.

While one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it will be appreciated that this is for the purpose of illustration and that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1 now claim:

1. A look comprising a casing, a pair of jaws slidably mounted in said casing, said jaws having flanged outer ends adapted to be extended through an opening in said casing upon sliding movement of said jaws, means mounting said jaws for rocking movement about an axis which is approximately perpendicular to the direction of said sliding movement of said jaws and intermediate the inner and outer ends of said jaws whereby the ends of said jaws may be moved toward and away from each other, a wedge member interposed between said jaws, spring means secured to said wedge member, said spring means extending between and engaging opposed portions of the inner ends of said jaws when said wedge member is in a retracted position so as to yieldingly urge said inner ends of said jaws away from each other to rock said flanged outer ends of said jaws away from each other, means for moving said wedge member toward said opening to effect sliding movement of said jaws to project said flanged ends of said jaws from said opening, and stop means for stopping movement of said jaws when said flanged ends of said jaws have been projected a predetermined distance whereby continued movement of said wedge member spreads said flanged ends of said jaws, said spring means moving with said wedge member relatively to said jaws and toward said axis about which said jaws rock when movement of said jaws has been stopped by said stop means, whereby the efiective force exerted by said spring means on said jaws is decreased as said wedge member moves relatively to said jaws to spread said flanged ends of said jaws.

2. A lock comprising a casing, a pair of identical sheet metal jaws slidably mounted in said casing, each of said jaws having a flanged outer end adapted to be projected from an opening in said casing upon sliding movement of said jaws, one jaw being reversed relatively to the other jaw so that said flanged ends of said jaws extend in opposite directions, each of said jaws being bent intermediate its ends to form an outwardly directed fulcrum on which each jaw may rock about an axis substantially perpendicular to the direction of said sliding movement of said jaws, resilient means extending between and engaging opposed portions of the inner ends of said jaws and yielding urging said inner ends away from each other to rock said flanged outer ends toward each other, a wedge member interposed between said jaws, means for moving said wedge member to eflect sliding movement of said jaws to project said flanged outer ends of said jaws from said opening, and stop means for stopping movement of said jaws when said flanged ends of said jaws have been projected a predetermined distance whereby continued movement of said wedge member spreads said flanged ends of said jaws.

3. A lock comprising a casing, a pair of jaws slidably mounted in said casing, said jaws having flanged outer ends adapted to be projected from an opening in said casing upon sliding movement of said jaws, means mounting said jaws for rocking movement about a point intermediate their ends whereby the ends of said jaws may be moved toward and away from each other, resilient means interposed between the inner ends of said jaws and yieldingly urging said inner ends away from each other to rock said flanged outer ends toward each other, a wedge member interposed between said jaws, means for moving said wedge member to effect sliding movement of said jaws to project said flanged outer ends of said jaws from said opening, stop means for stopping movement of said jaws when said flanged ends of said jaws have been projected a predetermined distance whereby continued movement of said wedge member spreads said flanged ends of said jaws, a pair of inturned fingers on the inner end of each jaw, one finger on one jaw extending behind a finger on the other jaw and the other finger on the other jaw extending behind the other finger on the one jaw to interlock the jaws and prevent substantial independent sliding movement of said jaws.

4. A look comprising a casing, a pair of jaws slidably mounted in said casing, said jaws having flanged outer ends adapted to be projected from an opening in said casing upon sliding movement of said jaws, each of said jaws being bent intermediate its ends to form an outwardly directed fulcrum on which each jaw may rock about a line substantially perpendicular to the direction of said sliding movement of said jaws, resilient means extending between and engaging opposed portions of the inner ends of said jaws and yieldingly urging said inner ends away from each other to rock said flanged outer ends toward each other, a member interposed between said jaws, means for moving said member to effect sliding movement of said jaws to project said flanged outer ends of said jaws from said opening, stop means for stopping movement of said jaws when said flanged ends of said jaws have been projected a predetermined distance whereby continued movement of said member spreads said flanged ends of said jaws, and a pair of inturned fingers on the inner end of each jaw, one finger on one jaw extending behind a finger on the other jaw and the other finger on the other jaw extending behind the other finger on the one jaw so as to interlock the jaws and prevent substantial independent sliding movement of said jaws.

5. A lock comprising a casing, a pair of jaws slidably mounted in said casing, said jaws having flanged outer ends adapted to be projected from an opening in said casing upon sliding movement of said jaws, each of said jaws being bent intermediate its ends to form an outwardly directed fulcrum on which each jaw may rock about a line substantially perpendicular to the direction of said sliding movement of said jaws, a member interposed between said jaws, spring means secured to said member and extending between and engaging opposed portions of the inner ends of said jaws so as to yieldingly urge said inner ends away from each other to rock said flanged outer ends toward each other, means for moving said member to eflfect sliding movement of said jaws to project said flanged outer ends of said jaws from said opening, stop means for stopping movement of said jaws when said flanged ends of said jaws have been projected a predetermined distance whereby continued movement of said member spreads said flanged ends of said jaws, and a pair of inturned fingers on the inner end of each jaw, one finger on one jaw extending behind a finger on the other jaw and the other finger on the other jaw extending behind the other finger on the one jaw so as to interlock the jaws and prevent substantial independent sliding movement of said aws.

6. A lock comprising a casing, a pair of jaws slidably mounted in said casing, said jaws having flanged outer ends adapted to be projected from an opening in said casing upon sliding movement of said jaws, each of said jaws being bent intermediate its ends to form an outwardly directed fulcrum on which each jaw may rock about a line substantially perpendicular to the direction of said sliding movement of said jaws, a member interposed 'between said jaws, a generally U-shaped spring secured to and extending around the sides of said member with the legs of the spring extending between and engaging opposed portions of the inner ends of said jaws and yieldingly urging said inner ends away from each other to rock said flanged outer ends toward each other when said memher is in a retracted position, means for moving said memher to effect sliding movement of said jaws to project said flanged outer ends of said jaws from said opening, and stop means for stopping movement of said jaws when said flanged ends of said jaws have been projected a predetermined distance whereby continued movement of said member spreads said flanged ends of said jaws, said U- shaped spring moving with said wedge member relatively to said jaws toward said fulcrum on which said jaws rock when movement of said jaws has been stopped by said stop means, whereby the efiective force exerted by said U-shaped spring on said jaws is decreased as said wedge member moves relatively to said jaws to spread the flanged ends of said jaws.

7. A lock comprising a casing, a pair of jaws slidably mounted in said casing, said jaws having flanged outer ends adapted to be projected from an opening in said casing upon sliding movement of said jaws, each of said jaws being bent intermediate its ends to form an outwardly directed fulcrum on which each jaw may rock about a line substantially perpendicular to the direction of said sliding movement of said jaws, a member interposed between said jaws, a generally U-shaped spring secured to and extending around the sides of said member with the legs of the spring extending between and engaging opposed portions of the inner ends of said jaws and yieldingly urging said inner ends away from each other to rock said flanged outer ends toward each other when said member is in a retracted position, means for moving said member to efiect sliding movement of said jaws to project said flanged outer ends of said jaws from said opening, stop means for stopping movement of said jaws when said flanged ends of said jaws have been projected a predetermined distance whereby continued movement of said member spreads said flanged ends of said jaws, and a pair of inturned fingers on the inner end of each jaw, one finger on one jaw extending behind a finger on the other jaw and the other finger on the other jaw extending behind the other finger on the one jaw so as to interlock the jaws and prevent substantial independent sliding movement of said jaws.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,264,814 Kornstein Apr. 30, 1918 1,478,343 Looney Dec. 18, 1923 2,711,335 Carroll June 21, 1955 2,913,272 Elsner Nov. 17, 1959 2,967,418 Donald Jan. 10, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 267,807 Germany Nov. 29, 1913 

2. A LOCK COMPRISING A CASING, A PAIR OF IDENTICAL SHEET METAL JAWS SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID CASING, EACH OF SAID JAWS HAVING A FLANGED OUTER END ADAPTED TO BE PROJECTED FROM AN OPENING IN SAID CASING UPON SLIDING MOVEMENT OF SAID JAWS, ONE JAW BEING REVERSED RELATIVELY TO THE OTHER JAW SO THAT SAID FLANGED ENDS OF SAID JAWS EXTEND IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, EACH OF SAID JAWS BEING BENT INTERMEDIATE ITS END TO FORM AN OUTWARDLY DIRECTED FULCRUM ON WHICH EACH JAW MAY ROCK ABOUT AN AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE DIRECTION OF SAID SLIDING MOVEMENT OF SAID JAWS, RESILIENT MEANS EXTENDING BETWEEN AND ENGAGING OPPOSED PORTION OF THE INNER ENDS OF SAID JAWS AND YIELDING URGING SAID INNER ENDS AWAY FROM EACH OTHER TO ROCK SAID FLANGED OUTER ENDS TOWARD EACH OTHER, A WEDGE MEMBER INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID JAWS, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID WEDGE MEMBER TO EFFECT SLIDING MOVEMENT OF SAID JAWS TO PROJECT SAID FLANGED OUTER ENDS OF SAID JAWS FROM SAID OPENING, AND STOP MEANS FOR STOPPING MOVEMENT OF SAID JAWS WHEN SAID FLANGED ENDS OF SAID JAWS HAVE BEEN PROJECTED A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE WHEREBY CONTINUED MOVEMENT OF SAID WEDGE MEMBER SPREADS SAID FLANGED ENDS OF SAID JAWS. 